The E-Garden Tour

Last weekend was the OC-CNPS Garden Tour, and a tour for neighbors the following day.   The garden has never looked better.  Nothing like inviting company to get me to tidy, trim, and repair.  Despite our fifth heat wave of the year, things were still in bloom.  So come on in and have a look.  Click on the photos to enlarge.

The front garden was planted in January 2013.

The theme of the front garden right now is lilac.  Lilac Verbena blooms have weathered successive heat waves, though up close you will see they are on their last legs.  Verbena has done well in my garden, so I keep planting more of it.

Verbena on top, daisies below. And peeking out from the back of the border is the redwood box hiding the oh-so-ugly air conditioner.  Never would have been built without a garden tour to dress up for.

It was serendipity, not skill on my part, that lilac-colored Seaside Daisies and Farewell-To-Spring are at their peak bloom now too.  I don't mange to think about color co-ordinating flowers when I plant.

Farewell-to-spring grows in the bioswale at the bottom of the mound along with blue-eyed grass and other wildflowers, and will fade away in summer.

Near the door, the Coral Bells are also hanging on through the heat.  Hiding behind them is orange Monkeyflower, and non-native Dragon Wing Begonias by the door on the left.

Yes, these strawberries are edible, but tiny, and good luck getting the ripe ones before the critters!  A family of bunnies has taken residence in our garden.  Mostly they eat grass...

People liked the plant name labels– I made lots, laminated them for re-use, and included the Latin name,  plant range, rarity, etc. Yes, I am a nerd.

It was fun to look up the ranges of all the species on Calflora.org, and the origin of the garden cultivars.  FYI:  Calflora has the correct current Latin names. But plant nurseries often don't.

The side yard is mostly non-native, but brave natives are tucked in with the roses and fruit trees.

The Italian Cypresses got trimmed for the occasion.  'Fame' rose always looks good, and its flowers lasts a long time. Natives are great for spots the sprinklers miss.

The back yard is coming into its own.  It's hot in summer; it's where I get full sun.

Not so bare this year!

It's not clear whether growing citrus and native sages together is going to fly, but right now they are coexisting. (This idea was tried because there's only one spot with sun all day, except the patio.  Sigh.)

That White Sage, borrowing water and fertilizer from the little citrus trees, has eight-foot-tall flower stalks.

Some ad-hoc combinations are working out well.  Certain plants grow well in and through others.  Full disclosure: I pulled out the more spectacular fails.  A garden is a work in progress.

A pile of snapdragon, cleveland sage and manzanita behind the rock works well.  That climbing rose on the right has never thrived.  I wonder if a Flannelbush would survive there...

And some areas are just problematic... foundation non-natives that I hate to lose, deep or variable shade, association overwatering... and there are always surprises.

Tomaz and I are collaborating on this new section, which has both shade and random association water. So far Bush Snapdragon and Hummingbird Sage thrive, and Bladderpod too, surprise! "Gorilla hair" redwood bark mulch covers the bare spots.

Thanks for visiting my garden!

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